A timely brace from Ched Evans saw Sheffield United come from behind to beat Preston, climbing above their steel city rivals and into 2nd place. North End took the lead shortly after Thorsten Stuckmann saved a tame Evans penalty, but the Welsh striker restored parity just before the break and grabbed the winning goal 10 minutes from time.

Danny Mayor’s wondergoal gave Graham Westley his first win as PNE boss in what was an otherwise uninspired performance from the Lilywhites. The scintillating strike was one of only two shots that North End managed to hit the target with all game, but it was enough to seal the points and end Hartlepool’s five game unbeaten run.

Preston North End manager Phil Brown has stated that his team looks “a little bit stronger” after a trio of loan players arrived at Deepdale this week. Jonathan Forte joins Southampton team-mate Sam Hoskins in the one-month loan move as Brown looks to bolster the strikeforce, which he believes has been “lost” through inury in recent weeks. Iain Turner’s injury means that German shot stopper Thorsten Stuckmann also makes the switch from Alemannia Aachen.

Preston just can’t stop scoring recently; in-form Neil Mellor grabbed his second brace in as many games either side of a wondrous Iain Hume strike to put North End into the play-off places with two games in hand. Mellor gave North End the lead inside 10 minutes, and Hume’s 25-yard rocket restored it after a Niall McGinn tap-in levelled things up in the 21st minute. Then, with a little over 15 minutes left on the clock, Mellor put the game beyond doubt with a volley from inside the Brentford area, tallying his 4th goal in two games.

After their midweek League Cup triumph over Charlton, Preston North End return to League One action this weekend with two games to catch up on. Uwe Rösler’s Brentford currently sit three points ahead of North End in the league having played two more games, but the Lilywhites now have an opportunity to leapfrog the London club, and could potentially climb as high as 3rd, dependent on other results.

Fellow promotion hopefuls Brentford are enjoying a fine run of form as of late, with 3 wins from their last 4 games. After a 1-1 draw with Colchester in midweek, The Bees will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of the home crowd, but it’ll be no easy task; North End have won their last 5 games in a row and show no signs of slowing.

At the beginning of last season, Preston North End FC announced a new initiative that included cheaper tickets for all, PNE-related fun, and, essentially, a bigger crowd and thus a better atmosphere for selected home games throughout the season. That initiative was called PNE Day, and the first of the 2011/2012 campaign will be held on Saturday, 24th September when the Lilywhites take on local club Tranmere Rovers.

Preston North End ended Charlton Athletic’s unbeaten start to the season with a confident 2-0 win at The Valley. Going into the 2nd round Carling Cup clash, the Addicks were in fine form, but an almost unrecognisable North End team took the plaudits with an assertive performance and came out on top.

Neil Mellor scored twice to propel North End to a 4-3 victory over Yeovil Town and a fourth consecutive win for the Lancashire club. After taking the lead early on through local lad Jamie Proctor, North End always looked the more dominant force and produced a scintillating attacking performance.

Questionable officiating from Yorkshire referee Carl Boyeson almost spoiled a great night at Deepdale after a series of dubious decisions, but Preston held on for the win and the three points with a battling display in which they could have scored so many more.

A controversial figure in football, Senegalese striker El-Hadji Diouf is better known for his exploits as a gobber than as a Nobber, but for the past couple of days, Preston gaffer Phil Brown has taken the fiesty forward under his wing, allowing him to train with the North End squad at their facilities in Springfields. The pair were briefly part of the same Bolton Wanderers setup under Sam Allardyce in 2005 – where Brown was assistant manager – and the South Shields sovereign has admitted that the two are good friends.